Effects of the aquatic contaminant human pharmaceuticals and their mixtures on the proliferation and migratory responses of the bioindicator freshwater ciliate Tetrahymena

► Acute toxic effects of NSAIDs, β-blockers are unlikely to T. pyriformis. ► Antibiotics and Na-diatrizoate do not inhibit Tetrahymena proliferation. ► Chemotaxis is a more sensitive cell physiological response than proliferation. ► In binary pharmaceutical mixtures, the interaction types are concentration dependent.